ROASTED PORTOBELLO AND POTATO GRATIN

Roasted Portobello And Potato Gratin image

"People dismiss gratins as being old- fashioned, but that's exactly what I like about them," the chef Eric Ripert told The Times in 2002. "They're not fancy but they can be rich, and best of all, at home they're put on the table to share." This recipe layers potatoes with meaty portobello mushrooms and tops that with bread crumbs and cream, but no cheese.

Provided by Florence Fabricant

Categories casseroles, side dish

Time 1h30m

Yield 6 to 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 12

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Ingredients

4 large portobello mushrooms, stems discarded, caps peeled
4 large garlic cloves
4 sprigs thyme
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and ground white pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
4 Idaho potatoes, about 2 pounds
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

Steps:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with sides with a sheet of parchment. Place mushrooms gill side up on parchment. Thinly slice 3 garlic cloves, and scatter over mushrooms. Place a thyme sprig on each mushroom, drizzle caps with olive oil, salt and pepper, and place in oven until soft and releasing liquid, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove, and allow to cool. Keep oven on.
Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet, add onions, and sauté over medium-low heat until soft and beginning to color. Add cream and milk, scald, and remove from heat. Use remaining butter to grease a 9-inch gratin dish about 2 inches deep. Rub dish with remaining garlic clove.
Remove and reserve garlic from mushrooms. Discard thyme. Slice mushrooms 1/2 inch thick.
Peel and thinly slice potatoes. Place 1/3 of the potatoes in gratin dish, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, scatter with half the reserved sliced garlic. Arrange half the mushroom slices on top. Repeat layers. Layer last third of potatoes on top. Season with salt and pepper. Pour scalded milk and cream with onions on top. Strew bread crumbs on top.
Place gratin dish on a baking sheet, and place in oven. Bake about 1 hour, until potatoes are tender and liquid has thickened. If top browns too fast, tent with foil. Allow to stand 10 minutes, then serve.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 354, UnsaturatedFat 12 grams, Carbohydrate 25 grams, Fat 27 grams, Fiber 3 grams, Protein 5 grams, SaturatedFat 13 grams, Sodium 627 milligrams, Sugar 5 grams, TransFat 0 grams